Assistant Secretary of State: Investigation concerning detained arms cargo started

Washington is thankful to Thai authorities for their order to detain Il-76 cargo plane loaded with weapons.

It has been stated by US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake.

As said by Robert Blake, it is satisfying that Thai government acted in compliance with their commitments under the Resolution of the United Nations Security Council Resolution and held inspection of the cargo.

As noted by Assistant Secretary of State, the investigation has just started, and he cannot comment on the situation still. According to preliminary information, the weapons was intended for Sri Lanka and Middle East. As said by Blake, Thai authorities will publish information about the investigation when they find it appropriate.

Mr Blake could not confirm reports that Thai authorities had seized the plane on a tip-off from the US intelligence. Thai mass media previously reported that seizure of the plane with weapons is a result of cooperation between special services of the US and Thailand.

We remind that last Saturdya an Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft was detained by Thai authorities after a search in which 35 tons of weaponry including rocket-propelled grenades, missiles and other war weapons and 12 containers with ammunition, was found. The crew includes Alexander Zrybnev, Viktor Abdullayev, Vitaly Shumkov and Ilyas Isakov from Kazakhstan, and Mikhail Petukhov from Belarus, a plane commander.

As the commander said during interrogation, the plane left Ukraine and the weapons cargo was received in North Korea. After refueling in Thailand and Sri Lanka, as the crew said, the plane was to return to Ukraine.

As informed by Thai sources, the suspects planned to unload the plane on the way back, in Sri Lanka or Middle East. The members of the crew refused to name the buyer of the arms and didn’t specify the destination country.

At the moment the crew members are charged with illegal arms possession, giving false information about the cargo and an attempt to smuggle arms though the territory of Thailand. Under the documents, the plane was to transport heavy equipment for oil rigs. On Monday the term of detention was extended for 12 days.

As mass media inform, after the plane detention this case can be connected with the case of Viktor Bout, “The Merchant of Death”, a Russians citizen arrested staying in Thai prison. He is considered by the US one of the key players at the global illegal arms market. He is awaiting an appeal of an extradition request by the United States. The fact that the origin of grenade-launchers is North Korea is advantageous to the US as well. The seized plane can become a trump card for Washington in discussing continuation of negotiations with Pyongyang on nuclear weapon tests.